Torch, Spring/Summer 2008

U nlike most of us, Matt Shiraki ’06 knows the exact day his job will end: January 20, 2009. That date hangs over his head like icicles after a winter storm. But he barely gives it a second thought. Because until that day comes, he plans to put all his time and energy into the work God has given him to do. That’s some pretty substantial thinking for a 23-year-old. He has a pretty substantial job, too. Shiraki spends his eight-to-five as assistant to Tevi Troy, the Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services. For someone who, just six years ago, was a high school senior living in Guam, wondering what the future could hold, he has come quite a ways. He’s proud to admit he is where he is because of his years at Cedarville University. “I love to tell people,” he said, “that if I hadn’t gone to Cedarville, this probably never would have happened to me.” Coming to the University as a transfer, Shiraki started out majoring in political science. His dad, who is from Hawaii, and his mom, from South Korea, had met after they both moved to Guam in the 1970s. They inspired in their son a fascination with history and a duty to help others, and political science seemed like the ideal major. But midway through his sophomore year, he began to feel concern over the apparent difficulty of finding a job in that area. So he turned to another interest — teaching — and switched his major to integrated social studies education. But when politics is in your blood, it’s hard to get away from it. In 2004, he joined the Bush-Cheney re-election campaign, volunteering at rallies and further igniting his interest in politics. Shiraki said Cedarville “gave me a chance to see the political process firsthand and laid the groundwork for me to pursue it.” by Sharyn Kopf Make the Most of the Opportunity 26 TORCH Make the Most of the Opportunity